The Flip of a Coin

The Flip of a Coin

Prologue

He looked at the robed figure, his eyes wide with astonishment, as the blood ran freely from his forehead.

"Traitor!" he spluttered, "Who are you?" The man laughed, and brought his fist down again with a sickening crunch, as his victim fell to the floor. His silver hair lay matted across his face, the grey eyes closed, as his life ebbed away from him. As he was fading away, he heard a laugh.

"Oh, you would never guess. You always were stupid. You should never have enrolled Severus Snape...."

Long spidery fingers rustled the paper slightly, as eyes flickered over the front page, a smirk on the face of the reader. He shook his head.

"Foolish man, so stupid. To think the Order would not know. Would not attempt to get there before me? Potter," he spat, "it was his fault. Always his fault." He slammed his hand onto the nearby table, watching with satisfaction as it crumbled into nothing. "But he has rid me of my most wonderful pest..." He trailed off and laughed manically for a few minutes, forgetting he was meant to be a sensible but devious master criminal, and he began to ponder the death that had taken place.

"No, wait, it can't have been Potter. Can't have been. Not strong enough. Hmm, tricky. Maybe it was one of us? They all knew how I hated him. Yes... a favour. Behind my back... I know just the person who would do it...."

Wormtail had been hidden in the corner of the hallway, listening to his master's cruel voice, shuddering at the image of him that forced its way into his mind. He sighed quietly, then shook himself, before walking slowly over to the main dining room, his hood covering his eyes, stumbling on the hem of his robes in his nervousness. His silver hand lit his way through the shadows as he went over his part of the battle in his head. Well. If you could call running away part of a battle, that is. Potter had nearly caught him. Ew. The thought of the way he had found Malfoy made his stomach turn.

He finally came to his master's room, and stood in the doorway for a second, collecting what little courage he had, before lowering his hood and moving to the Dark Lord. Red eyes flickered over him, and he shuffled, trying to hide his nervousness, but failing miserably. His master smirked at him, holding out a pale hand. Wormtail drew a small box from the depths of his robes.

"This was all I could find, my Lord." He opened it carefully, revealing a small shiny object. Voldemort's face lit up.

"You found it!" The voice he had come to despise echoed through his head as he opened his mouth to speak, thinking better of it and merely nodding, placing the box on the table, before looking at his feet, waiting. A joyful laugh erupted around him, and when he opened his eyes he saw his master doing a little victory dance, stomping his feet and giggling, "Oh yes, oh yes!" Wormtail raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, wondering where the cold voice of "Crucio!" he had heard so many times before had disappeared to.

Watching Voldemort pick the coin lightly out of the box, he felt sick, wondering what the object he had brought back meant. It had seemed like any ordinary thing, but his master seemed so pleased. Maybe he had finally cracked? He must have. It was merely a muggle coin. Why would his master wish for such a thing?

"I'm sorry, master. I know it is only a coin. It....it was all I could find..." He winced in apprehension, but the voice that came was warm.

"I could not have expected more from you." A sharp laugh cut through him, the sound of it ringing through his ears. "For once. A plan that might actually work..." Wormtail shuffled on the spot.

"But, my Lord, I...this is all part of the plan? It's just a coin, a muggle coin..." He stepped away from his Lord, seeing a look of rage creeping over his face.

"Just. A. Coin? You are more stupid than I thought. This is THE coin! It will help me rid the world of all loving mudbloods," he spat, "and Mr.'I-always-save-the-world-from-the-evil-one.' Why are you looking so damn depressed? You are my most faithful once again. My highest Death Eater. That is, of course, why you killed Malfoy?" His voice had no tone of question to it, as if he didn't want or need an answer, and Wormtail started, looking horrified, then puzzled, then positively gleeful.

"Oh.... of course my Lord. I wished to rid you of him. He never could do anything right..." He paused, to make sure he was saying the right thing. Apparently he wasn't, as Voldemort's face screwed up like a spoilt child.

"Then. Why. Aren't. You. CELEBRATING?!?" he screamed, flicking Wormtail's forehead, laughing as he was flung across the room, *SPLAT* against a wall. Wormtail gasped for breath, forcing himself up.

"My Lord...I.... I was...justabouttoarrangeacelebration," he gabbled, hoping the quicker it came out, the more likely his master was to believe it. His master grinned at him.

"Oh goody," came the murderous reply, dripping with sarcasm, "lead the way then."

Bethany Pearson 5/1/04